Breathe With Me Sesshomaru
by MrsJoey Wheeler
Summary: Kagome realizes her feelings of love are towards Sesshomaru, not Inuyasha. How will she admit her feelings to him, and will they by returned?    The rating is for later chapters in the series. The story doesn't get to X proportions until after Chapter 20.
1. Lost In The Forest, Looking For A Savior

Disclaimer: Oh, I own Inuyasha. NOT! If I did, I wouldn't be writing something like this and posting it here. I'd have my own website to post it. So, for short, I don't own Inuyasha. (Oh, and I wouldn't be using this pairing.)

Summary: Kagome realizes her feelings of love are towards Sesshomaru, not Inuyasha. How will she admit her feelings to him, and will they by returned?

Author's Note: Hello People! It's MrsJoey Wheeler! I really wanted to post this story on now since it's been on for quite some time. This story was originally written for my friend, but now it's just popular. I hope you enjoy it. =]

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Oh, and the characters may be a little OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking.

PSS- I didn't do any research about Japanese food or kitchens, because every time I want to, my computer turns against me…

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Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru) - Lost In The Forest, Looking For A Savior

Kagome walked slowly behind her friends. Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka laughed and giggled about normal teenage girl stuff. Mostly boys. They stopped and turned to look at Kagome.

"So how's your exotic boyfriend?" Eri asked.

"Huh?" Kagome said, coming out of her flashback of the battle against Naraku.

"Your boyfriend!" Yuka exclaimed.

"How is he?" Ayumi asked.

Kagome sighed. "Okay, I guess." _'He's not really my boyfriend,'_ she thought.

"He's really cool," Yuka said, as everyone kept walking.

"I love his hair," Eri said.

"Me, too," Ayumi said.

_'Just imagine if they knew he had dog ears,'_ Kagome thought sarcastically as they got to the stairs that led up to her house. (~*Everybody loves a bit of sarcasm.*~)

"Is he working today Kagome?" Ayumi asked.

"No…well at least he shouldn't be," Kagome answered.

"Aw; I guess we'll just catch you later Kagome," Eri said.

"Bye Kagome," the other two chorused. Kagome waved and then made her way to the house. Once there, she went in and just went straight to her room. She collapsed on her bed and sighed.

"I can't believe that they still think Inuyasha is my boyfriend," Kagome said.

She thought about the last attack from Naraku, and being in the demon's belly. How Miroku had tried to protect them. How she gave Inuyasha her jewel shard. How she hugged him when his inner demon tried taking over.

But that hug meant nothing. She didn't want to admit it to him, but she didn't love him. Well, not in the way he thought. She loved him like a brother, a protective older brother.

_ 'But that kiss when Kaguya…NO! That was to save him,'_ Kagome thought. She loved him like a brother; that was it.

But then, who did she love? She would never tell Inuyasha the answer to that question. She couldn't believe she loved _him_ after all that he had put her and Inuyasha through.

Yes, Kagome loved Sesshomaru. The very demon that wanted to kill Inuyasha. She couldn't believe it herself that she loved the demon so much.

"But he'll never return my feelings…" Kagome whispered as she fell asleep.

Little to her, Inuyasha was just outside her window, thinking she was talking about him.

Kagome awoke to the hanyou sitting at the end of her bed.

"Hey Inuyasha," Kagome said. "What time is it?"

"Well, the sun's down. Does that help?" he asked sarcastically. (~*More sarcasm!*~)

Kagome looked through her window to see the sun was indeed down and then she looked at her clock.

"It's already 9 o'clock!" she yelled. Inuyasha jumped up and covered her mouth.

"Shh wench! Your brother just fell asleep! Do you really want to fucking wake him up?" Inuyasha snapped. He slowly removed his hand and Kagome was quiet.

"Sota was bugging you again?" she asked as she stood and stretched.

"The kid wouldn't let me have a damn moment to myself," Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome smiled and made her way to the door.

"Gonna come with me?" she asked. He just stood and followed her downstairs. She went into the kitchen to find her mother.

"Kagome, glad to see you awake honey. I guess all of that exhaustion just took over," Ms. Higurashi said as she took a plate from the microwave. She placed it on the table. "There's your dinner sweetheart."

"Thanks Mom," she said as she sat down and started eating. Her mom had made chicken and mashed potatoes with rolls. Kagome began to scarf it down. Boy was she hungry after all of that studying today for school over the last few days.

Inuyasha stood against the wall and watched her. He was taking a different liking to her now. After earlier that day, she has been the only thing on his mind. Listening her talk in her sleep had been an eye opener to him. Kagome loved him and was afraid that he didn't love her back.

Well she was right. He didn't love anyone that way. Not even Kikyo. He loved Kagome like a sister; the sister he never had. He hoped the she would understand.

Kagome finished her dinner and Ms. Higurashi took the plate as Kagome finished off her last roll. She got up and got a juice box from the fridge. She gulped that down in a second.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Ms. Higurashi said. "Don't stay up too late now." She left and Kagome put the empty box in the trash.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "So when did you get here?" she asked.

"Around the time you get out of school," was his answer. He paused and there was an awkward silence. "I heard you talking," he finally said.

Kagome froze. He had heard her talking? That's not good. He would take her the wrong way, like he always does.

"Inu…Inuyasha, y-you didn't…h-hear m-me in my…r-room did-did you?" she stammered out.

"Where else were you talking to yourself?" he said as he got a sad expression on his face. Kagome walked over to him.

"Inuyasha…I have to tell you…that I…"

"Love me?" he asked.

Kagome froze. She knew this was how he would take it. "Not like that…" she whispered as she hung her head.

Inuyasha looked at her. _"Not like that…"_ It echoed in his head, like a needle being dropped in an empty room.

"Well…how do you love me? You've already made it quite clear you like me in some way," the hanyou said as he too, hung his head.

"Like a brother. I love you like I love Sota and Miroku. Like you're my brother…or something…" she trailed off. Inuyasha smiled and lifted her chin. His amber eyes met her blue-gray ones.

"Good, cause I consider you a sister more than anything else."

Kagome smiled and hugged him. Of course, Inuyasha wasn't expecting this, but he embraced her.

"I didn't think you'd accept this type of relationship between us," Kagome whispered.

"I didn't think you would," Inuyasha said. Kagome drew away from him and gave him a smile. Things were going to be great now. Except when Kagome had to tell him, whom she loved…in the romantic way.

A few days later in the Feudal Era, the group set off for the jewels shards again. They were going to check in the area around Sesshomaru's Western Lands, since they hadn't checked there in so long. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo accepted the relationship decision that Kagome and Inuyasha had made. Actually, everyone knew that's how it would end.

"You two already act like siblings anyways," Miroku commented.

"I second that," Shippo said, raising a small hand.

"And it's not like we didn't see this coming," Sango said. "It was bound to happen."

Kagome and Inuyasha were happy for these reactions. No one seemed to want to play the Kaguya card or the hug in the demon's belly. They just accepted it.

The gang made their way around the edge of Sesshomaru's territory, careful not to cross the invisible line into it. They were looking for the shards; that was all.

But not for Kagome. She hoped that Sesshomaru sensed them on the edge of his territory. She wanted to see him. For maybe him to kidnap her; well, at least that way she'd get some alone time with him.

The gang traveled three days beside the border. Inuyasha could smell fear, worry, want, and emptiness in Kagome's scent. So when camp was set up, and their dinner of fish was cooking, he decided to find out why.

"Kagome?" he asked. She looked up at him. "Got a minute?"

"Sure Inuyasha," she said as she followed him to a spot by the river they had got the fish from. She had put her big bag down, but her little gym bag, that she had bought at a store while she was home last, stayed on her back. "What is it Inuyasha?" she inquired when she was seated in the grass. He sat next to her, Tetsusaiga in his lap, and stared at the reflection of the moon in the water. She was wondering why he was unusually serene and kind.

"What's bugging you?" he asked bluntly. Kagome looked into the water as well, thinking about how to answer the question.

"N-Nothing," she stuttered.

"That's not true Kagome, and you know it," Inuyasha said assertively.

Kagome turned to him. "Inu…yasha?"

"I can smell it in your scent," he told her. "You're worried about something. Scared, a want for something and you're feeling empty." He turned to her. "Why?" She lowered her head. "What's eating you up?"

Now Kagome really wanted to know why he was acting so affectionate. "What's gotten into you? Why do you care so much?" she shot back.

Inuyasha flinched at her tone and his ears pasted to his head. Kagome calmed down and returned her gaze to the water.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She hugged her knees to her chest and spaced out a bit. Inuyasha calmed down as well and clutched the Tetsusaiga. His gaze also returned to the moon in the water.

"It's okay…It's just…ever since the other night at your house…when we settled our relationship…I just wanted…" the hanyou tried to say.

"I understand; a brotherly concern, right?" she asked. He nodded. She smiled and sighed.

"I'm scared about seeing the one I love," she said.

"Someone I know?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome nodded. "In this time?" She nodded again.

"I'm scared he won't love me. I want to be with him, to tell him how I feel. And I'm empty because of that," the miko said.

The hanyou nodded. "What are you worried about? Rejection?" He thought Kagome was thinking about Koga. He knew Koga wouldn't reject her. The wolf would welcome her with open arms. Inuyasha didn't know if Koga had claimed a mate or not. It had been awhile since the group had last seen him. Or any wolves for that matter.

"That's part of it," she said as she lifted her head and looked at Inuyasha. "And how you'll take who it is."

Inuyasha faced her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just tell me." He was all ready to hear "Koga" come from her lips.

Kagome took a shaky sigh and buried her face in her knees. She said his name loud enough for Inuyasha to hear, "Sesshomaru."

"WHAT!" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped to his feet. Miroku and the others jumped. "HIM!"

Kagome nodded as she began to cry. Shippo was on his way to find out what was going on, but Miroku stopped him.

"Let me go Miroku! Kagome's crying!" the kitsune yelled.

"Let Inuyasha handle it," the monk said.

"He started it," Sango said as she rotated the fish. Kirara made a sound in agreement.

Inuyasha continued yelling, unable to grasp why. "WHY HIM! HE TRIED TO KILL ME! HE TRIED TO KILL YOU! AND YOU LOVE HIM?"

Kagome lifted her head and stood to face him. "Yes; YES INUYASHA! I LOVE HIM! I CAN'T HELP IT! I JUST DO!"

"ANYONE ELSE IS BETTER THAN HIM!"

Kagome was fired up now. She yelled everything said next fairly quickly. "I DON'T CARE INUYASHA! I LOVE YOUR BROTHER, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! SIT!"

Inuyasha's face hit the ground and Kagome began to walk away. "Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled at her.

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! (~*This is getting us nowhere…*~) SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" Kagome yelled out. Inuyasha's body began to fall into the ground. He was about six feet under by the time she stopped. She ran into the forest, tears falling from her eyes.

"What was that all about?" Sango asked sweat-drops heavy on everyone's head.

"I kinda feel sorry for the guy," Miroku said. (~*You, what!*~)

"Well, Kagome said something she shouldn't have," Shippo said plainly.

"What do you mean Shippo?" Sango asked.

"Yes, please enlighten us," the monk said.

"You mean you didn't hear her? Well…she said it pretty fast," the kitsune said.

"What was it Shippo?" the demon slayer asked again.

"She said she loved Sesshomaru," the young demon said.

Miroku and Sango were speechless. Kagome loved _Sesshomaru_! They watched as Inuyasha pulled himself out of the hole and sat with the Tetsusaiga in his lap. He soon curled into a ball and was quiet.

"Poor guy," Shippo stated as he began eating his dinner. (~*Only time you'll hear that for Inuyasha from Shippo.*~)

Kagome ran. She didn't know where. She didn't know how far she did run until she couldn't breathe any longer. She collapsed on the ground, clutching her chest. She fell completely on the ground, huffing hard. She felt as though there was no air at all in her lungs.

"Inu…Inuyasha…Sess…homaru…some…one…" she panted. She gave into her exhaustion and fell asleep.

(~*Poor Kagome*~)

The great demon lord Sesshomaru began his rounds of his lands. He had heard from some of his followers that Inuyasha and the rest of the group were traveling next to the border. Sesshomaru knew that they wouldn't dare to cross into his territory.

Rin was playing in his castle's courtyard, with Jaken watching over her. So Sesshomaru was going alone. He liked it this way. He could think and make decisions without one of them butting in. He wanted to do his rounds quickly, just flying over his lands and making sure everything was right.

He took off and looked over everything all night. When he returned, he decided to walk through his forest for a little while. He wanted more time alone. He knew as soon as he got home, he wasn't going to be left alone, not even for a second. Jaken would be asking how the rounds went; Rin would be yapping about how he should take her with him the next time; his other servants would be all over him with other things, like how he should warn them about the next time he used the boulders in the back of the castle for target practice.

The scent of the girl that walked with Inuyasha was strong in the forest. He didn't know why, but Sesshomaru could swear there was fear and sadness coming from the girl's aura. Also something Sesshomaru couldn't pick up, but something Kagome felt strongly at the moment: heartache.

Sesshomaru walked towards her scent and found her in a ball on the ground, right next to a huge bush. He decided that since she was clearly alone and exhausted, he should help her, no matter how much anyone else said not to. Jaken, his servants, even Inuyasha would have said not to help her. Well, if Inuyasha was there, Sesshomaru wouldn't be the one kneeling down and scooping the miko into his arms. He looked down at her cut and dirty face. Her legs were covered in bruises and dirt, along with a few cuts. Salt still clung to her face from what Sesshomaru knew were tears.

_'What did the half demon do to her?'_ the Demon Lord thought. He looked over her body. She was completely exhausted, outside and in; and her body had been through enough that she could kill herself. The Demon Lord moved the girl in his arms to a more comfortable position and began the rest of the way to his castle.

(~*AWWW! Sesshomaru's being nice!~*)

Sesshomaru approached his castle and he instantly just leapt up to his balcony. He went out his bedroom door and down the hall with Kagome in his arms. He opened one of the many spare rooms and placed her on the bed. He then went to find one of his servants to tend to her. He didn't want to be blamed by anyone for being too cold-hearted, or a pervert.

(~*LOL; Sesshomaru a pervert! Like we need another Miroku!~*)

Kagome was dreaming, remembering everything before she passed out. She remembered running through Sesshomaru's forest, falling a lot; getting many cuts from twigs and bruises from the rocks. Running, covered in dirt, tears rolling down her cheeks, her heart broken in two, or three. She just couldn't take it.

Then her dream changed. She was dreaming about a tall being with long white hair and golden eyes carrying her. But, it wasn't Inuyasha. The aura in her dream was too strong to be her friend. It was Sesshomaru.

The miko wished she could just stay in her dream forever. Since in reality, Sesshomaru would never touch her.

(~*How little she does know…*~)

(**Meanwhile**)

Inuyasha watched as the sun rose. He couldn't believe that Kagome had been gone all night. He was worried more than anything at the moment. But, he knew Sesshomaru would kill him and the others if they stepped into the forest. BUT, the Demon Lord would KILL Kagome if he found her. (~*Sigh*~)

The hanyou stood and turned towards the others. He hadn't moved from his spot by the river all night. He had expected Kagome to cry out her all of tears, and she would be back. (~*Boy, was he wrong*~)

"I'm going to look for her," he told the others. They had been awake for a while, already having the time to get breakfast. Kirara and Shippo were still asleep and Sango was watching the breakfast fish. Miroku had been looking around; hoping the same thing Inuyasha had been all night: that Kagome would return.

Miroku nodded, "Yes." Inuyasha nodded back and he zoomed into the trees.

"I hope he finds her," Sango said. Her head had been down the whole time Inuyasha had been standing there. She was really upset that Kagome had gone out all night.

"Me too," said Shippo sleepily. He had just woken up to Inuyasha meeting the trees. He stood and walked slowly to Sango. She pulled him into her lap and cuddled him. Soon, the kitsune was asleep again.

Miroku looked where Inuyasha had left. "So do I," the monk answered.

(~*How's Inuyasha?*~)

Inuyasha zoomed through the trees. He began picking up Kagome's scent after only a little while. He stopped where he was.

_'Blood?'_ he thought. _'Kagome's blood!'_ He jumped down from the tree he was in and saw a twig with her blood on it. He picked it up and sniffed it. He almost became sick at the smell of her blood, but he became extremely sick with worry over how she was.

He got back up into the trees and followed her scent, picking up her blood every once in a while.

_'Kagome…please be okay,'_ he thought. _'You have to be okay!'_

(~*Back To Kagome!*~)

Kagome woke from her dream. She kept her eyes closed. She moved a little and felt all of the scratches she had gotten from running. She turned to her side, wincing when she hit the bruise on her side. She fought back tears as she opened her eyes. She found herself in a bed, a BIG, EXPENSIVE feudal era bed. She sat up, fighting against the pain. She gazed around.

The miko found herself in a decent sized room with a huge picture-like window to her left. The bed she was in was huge. Like, California King, but a bit bigger. The comforter, pillowcases, and sheets were different shades of burgundy and gold. The bed was against the wall, in a corner. There was a table made out of redwood next to her with an oil lamp on it. There was a door across the room made of a dark, browner colored wood, and the walls and floor were these huge gray stones. She saw a big armoire made of the same wood as the table, with very detailed carvings. Right in front of her was another door with the same wood as the other one. She looked up to see that there was a burgundy canopy above her head.

_'Who lives here? Who saved me from the forest?'_ she thought. Her internal questions were answered when the door to her right opened to two servant women and their lord.

Kagome's eyes grew wide. _'Sesshomaru!'_

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So Kagome's found herself in Sesshomaru's castle and Inuyasha is frantically searching for her. What's going to happen next? Review so you can read chapter two! Thx!

MrsJoey Wheeler


	2. My Name Is KagomeShe's With Him

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and I never will. But its creator and all the media companies do.

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Oh, characters may be a little OOC.

A/N: I can't believe the feedback I've gotten from this story here on . I didn't get this much feedback after chapter one on MediaMiner! Thank you for all of the feedback!

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking.

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Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru) - My Name Is Kagome/She's With Him

Kagome stared at the man she loved as he came through the door.

"So, you're awake miko," he said in his smooth voice. The female servants came over to her and one began to whisper to her.

"Young Lady, there are fresh clothes in the bath room across the hall. Misa and I would like to clean the clothes you are in," the servant said as the other named Misa nodded. Kagome nodded slowly. "And if you need anything, just find me or Misa. My name is Yori."

Kagome just nodded again as she stared blankly in shock at the woman. Then she turned back to Sesshomaru, staring at his face without blinking.

"This Sesshomaru would like to speak to the miko alone," the Demon Lord stated. The two servants nodded and they left.

Sesshomaru re-focused his gaze to Kagome. She blushed and turned her head away. She felt her heart accelerate and her breathing started becoming rapid. He was right next to her.

"This Sesshomaru found you alone on my forest floor, why?" he asked. "You were overcome with exhaustion and I could smell your fear. Why wasn't that half-breed with you?"

Kagome took several deep breaths before she answered him, still not looking right at him. "I had a fight with Inuyasha. So I…I ran into the forest to be alone, but…I didn't stop and think. I just fell to the ground when I couldn't go any further."

Sesshomaru listened to her. He wasn't one to pry into personal matters, but the strange feelings he was getting off Kagome through her aura were making him want to know why the miko and the hanyou fought.

"What could have made you so mad that even staying close to the half-breed wasn't an option?" he asked out loud. He immediately regretted saying his thoughts aloud. He smelt fear from Kagome and felt her aura change to a form of embarrassment. With his sharp eyes, even with her face mostly hidden from view, he could see the blush on her cheeks.

"I…I…" she started to answer. "I…my…m-my…the one…I-I love." She raised her head to meet his eyes, her face covered in blush. She gulped and sighed, closing her eyes for a second before meeting his again. "I told Inuyasha the person I love."

"You do not love the half-demon?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome looked down at her lap and began fumbling with the comforter. "Not like that. He's like my brother, a brother I never had. I've got a little brother, but I always thought it would be nice to have an older sibling." She giggled. "Not demon older though."

The Demon Lord of the Western Lands had to suppress his emotions, his want to chuckle and smile, and the on going thought of the fact she was acting strange around him. Normally, she would be demanding that she wants to go back to Inuyasha or that Inuyasha would fight for her and come looking for her. Sesshomaru knew all of that. He wanted to half-breed to come after her. He just didn't want to get caught in this little love thing that the miko was going through.

"Miko, this Sesshomaru would like your name, for I have forgotten it."

Kagome lifted her head again, the blush subsiding a bit. "Kagome; my name is Kagome."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Kagome," he repeated. The miko had to keep her heart in her chest at the sound of his voice speaking her name. "This Sesshomaru must go now. Take the clothes across the hall and let the servants take care of you." He turned on his heals and left through the open door.

Kagome let out a held breath and sighed. She smiled a huge smile. _Sesshomaru_ had saved her! She was in _his_ castle. AND he was being _nice_ for a change.

The teen pulled back the comforter and landed her feet on the ground. She almost fell over when her feet finally met the floor. She turned around to see the top of the bed line right between her navel and her breasts.

_'You've got to be kidding me…'_ she thought, a sweat-drop now on the back of her head. _'That's why he didn't seem so tall.'_ She shook it off and made her way across the hall. The simple movement wasn't as easy as she thought. She herself might be awake, but her body sure wasn't. She used the walls to help her and she finally made her way to the other room.

Kagome was back in her room, sitting on the floor with one of her textbooks. She was in a silk purple kimono with blue flowers on it. She didn't even think that a kimono could have such a design in this era. But, Sesshomaru was one of the richest and most powerful demons around. Of course he'd get all the latest stuff.

What the miko really wanted to know was: why did he have woman's kimonos anyways? Were they for the servants for important matters? Were they for Rin when she got older? Or…or maybe he had someone special…

The door opened, revealing Yori and Rin to her. Both were carrying food trays and Rin gave Kagome a huge grin.

"Kagome!" she squealed. She quickly went next to Kagome, placing down her food and hugging the older girl. Kagome giggled and hugged back.

"When Lord Sesshomaru told me that you were here, I didn't believe him. But when Yori and Misa were washing your clothes, I knew you really had to be here," Rin said quickly. She looked at Kagome with happy, dancing eyes and excitement was in her voice.

Yori smiled and placed the tray she was holding next to Kagome. "For you Young Lady; Little Mistress Rin insisted that she came up to eat with you. I hope that doesn't affect you."

"No, no. Not at all," Kagome said as she turned to look at the young girl and then back to the servant. "I've missed her. I'll enjoy some time with her."

Yori gave a small bow, some of her lightly graying black hair coming out of the bun on her head. She had deep-set blue eyes, and a fine face. No scars or birthmarks to ruin the shape, color, or texture of it. She looked to Kagome about 49 or so. She had no major wrinkles, but just a few around the eyes. She could pass as Kagome's aunt!

"I'll leave you ladies be then," she said. She left the room and Kagome turned to her food and then to Rin.

"So how are you, Rin?"

(~*Where's Inu?*~)

Inuyasha had been searching all morning so far and had come across a fairly open area. He could smell Kagome's blood on the ground and then someone else's. But it was faint and distorted. At first he couldn't place it, but then he really thought about it.

"Sesshomaru…" Inuyasha said. He panicked. Kagome's body wasn't here, unless his brother moved it. _'Maybe he didn't kill her. Maybe he took her to his castle…'_ the half-demon thought.

He didn't know where the castle was, and searching by himself on foot would take forever. He decided to head back and tell the others of his findings.

(~*Smart idea.*~)

(~*Back at the Castle of the Western Lands…*~)

Kagome and Rin had finished their food and Kagome began showing Rin how to play Old Maid with the specialty cards that she found in her little bag. The girls played the game until Rin didn't need any help or handicaps. They played through a few hands before Misa, followed by Sesshomaru appeared at the door.

"Miko Kagome," Sesshomaru said. Misa stepped forward with Kagome's clothes in her hands.

"Washed, fixed, and dried, Lady Kagome," Misa said.

Kagome gave her a smiled before taking the clothes. "Thank you Misa."

Misa looked a little shocked but then turned to Rin. "Little Mistress, your bath will be ready in a little while. I'll come and get you before the water gets cold."

She turned to face Sesshomaru and bowed, keeping the position. "Dismissed Misa."

"Thank you, My Lord." She left and the demon lord continued to stand in the doorway as Kagome placed her clothes on her bed and sat down next to Rin again. She began to shuffle the deck for a last round of Old Maid before Rin's bath. She just started dealing the cards when Lord Sesshomaru spoke.

"I see you and Rin get along fine," he said plainly.

Without looking up, Kagome answered him. "Yeah; ever since that crazy time with your father's swords, I've gotten closer to her every time I see her."

The Lord of the Western Lands didn't like when people didn't look him in eye when they were talking to him, but he made an exception with Kagome like he did for Rin and Jaken.

Just then, the green toad himself comes running down the hall. "My Lord! My Lord!"

Sesshomaru looks at Kagome, who was still very much into her game with Rin, then turned around.

"What Jaken?" the demon lord asked as the other demon got closer.

Jaken stopped for a breath, and then answered. "I heard…I heard the girl that travels with Inuyasha is in the castle! The servants were talking about her in the washroom. But I know that you would never bring her here, My Lord! I just couldn't believe them!"

Sesshomaru kept his straight face, really wanting to laugh, but instead he just turned around and looked back at Kagome and Rin. "She is here, Jaken. I brought her here. She was injured and vulnerable. I'm waiting for Inuyasha to come for her."

"You'd let that half-breed take her back without a fight! My Lord, you should really think this through—" but the toad was cut off. Lord Sesshomaru whacked his servant on the head, leaving a huge bump.

"She is to stay here, and is not to be harmed in any way." Jaken opened his mouth in protest, but the demon lord continued. "You are to call her 'Lady Kagome'. Only Rin and I can call her Kagome. The miko shall be comfortable while she is here. When Inuyasha comes looking for her, we'll hand her over. I found her in a weakened state. I will not use her as bait or as a hostage. Got it?"

The green toad nodded. "Yes, My Lord."

"Now, go do your job as overseer." His servant nodded and started away. "Oh, and no more threats and punishments. You come to me for that."

Jaken was mad, but he just went down the hall to get to his post.

"Now let's count up the points," Kagome said.

Sesshomaru turned to see the card game over and Kagome beginning to tally the scores. Kagome laughed as she saw Rin try to hide a card from her. The miko convinced the little girl to hand it over. It was the Old Maid.

"Oh Rin. You lost this one, but you won all the other ones. You beat me!" Kagome said as she started tickling the little girl.

"No…" Rin giggled. "STOP…it tickles…"

Lord Sesshomaru had to use all of his mental strength not to at least smile at this. Kagome just got along so well with Rin.

"Little Mistress!" Misa called. "Bath!"

"Got to go!" Rin said as she scrambled off the floor and ran past Sesshomaru and down the hall.

Kagome sat up and smiled at the doorway as Rin left. She then shook her head as she put away the cards. Sesshomaru looked down at her and suppressed the want to smile again.

"You act like Rin is blood," he said.

Kagome just smiled at looked up at him. "It's because I'm the closest girl to her age that can take the time to do stuff with her." Kagome stood and placed the cards next to her clothes. She then turned to Sesshomaru and walked to stand in front of him. Her heart was pounding as she tried not to blush; as he became aroused by her close presence and the curves of her body.

"I'm gonna go take a walk outside," she said. The Lord of the Western Lands tried to make sure his eyes didn't wander to the open part of her kimono. He knew if he did, he'd have to find somewhere to safely relieve himself.

He didn't understand how a human girl could make him so pleasured. He decided to just look her in the eye, so not to risk anything.

"Do not leave the grounds," Sesshomaru said. She smiled and nodded, trying to hide her blush. She slid past him, the Demon Lord happy she didn't get too close. His problem was already too much. She began her way down the hall.

"And Kagome," Sesshomaru said.

Kagome turned around and looked at him.

"If Inuyasha comes, don't leave without letting this Sesshomaru know."

Kagome smiled again. "I won't Lord Sesshomaru." She turned around again and continued down the hall.

Lord Sesshomaru found it safe to smile when she turned around again and made her way down the marble spiral staircase.

(~*Aww! He's smiling! Something he doesn't do too often…or never?*~)

(~*How's Inu?*~)

Inuyasha made it back to camp to find the fire out. Sango and Miroku were being their couple selves, by sitting next to the river and cuddling. The monk was already sporting three hand prints on his face and a nice sized bump on the back of his head. Shippo and Kirara were playing in a shallow spot in the water, Kirara transformed and splashing huge amounts of water on the kitsune.

The hanyou looked over the scene and spaced out. Realizing the Kagome wasn't in the picture, he quickly ran to the others.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said. "You're back."

"Where's Kagome?" Sango asked. Inuyasha's face looked worried to them and they were becoming anxious.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo called out as he came of the water and ran to the hanyou. He jumped onto his shoulder and then he looked around. "Where's Kagome?" the kitsune asked just like Sango did.

Inuyasha stayed quiet and his look made everyone scared.

"Did you find her?" Miroku asked, feeling Sango squeezing his arm.

"No, but I know where she is," the hanyou answered.

"Where is she?" Shippo and Sango asked together.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Sesshomaru has her."

* * *

How was this chapter? Please leave me a review. You'll make this college student very happy! lol

MrsJoey Wheeler


	3. I Love You Sesshomaru!

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen the end. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Characters are a bit OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking

A/N: OMG! Thank you for all of the reviews! I've never had so much feedback for this story before! I really enjoy reading everyone's reviews. I really take them to heart. =]

* * *

Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru) - I love you Sesshomaru!

Inuyasha ran through the forest with the others right behind him on Kirara. He led them right to the spot that he lost Kagome's scent. He noticed that Sesshomaru's scent had grown, almost as if the Demon Lord had come back to this same area. The hanyou shook off the thought a bit and focused on the direction that led farther into the forest.

"Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.

He turned around to look at the kitsune.

"Will we find her safe?"

Inuyasha turned back around, lowering his head and then lifting it to catch his brother's scent. "I don't know Shippo. I honestly don't know."

(~*Isn't he out of character…well, I don't really have much of a choice but to put him a little out of character!*~)

Kagome found one of the butlers and asked if he could lead her to the door that would take her to the garden.

"Right this way, Lady Kagome," he said. He led her down a hallway that had the same gray stone walls, but with dark brown wooden floors and dark brown wooden doors lining the hall. Each hand made door had golden handles. The man took a left, into a small corridor, and stopped in front of a door with a glass top section. The clear glass was separated by thin wooden strips making a 12 grid glass look. Right to the left of the butler was another door.

"This door, Lady Kagome," he said as he pointed to the other door. "…places you right into the cooking area. And this door…" He opened the door with the glass outwards. "…is the way to the garden."

He stepped aside so Kagome could see. She gasped at how beautiful it was. Huge trees, covered in green leaves were everywhere. Wildflowers of all different colors covered the ground. Gray flagstone made a path through the garden.

"Lord Sesshomaru has named this '_The Garden of Tranquility and Life_'. His mother picked out most of the flowers here. Except for a few of the vine plants. Master Inu-Tasho himself brought those here and had them planted. Some of these plants are literally hundreds of years old."

Kagome admired everything. She loved that even though the trees created a nice dense shade over the garden, that there was still a grand amount of sunlight.

"Well, Lady Kagome. I hope you enjoy your time in the garden. If you need anything, just give me a ring or call. My name's Teraku."

"Thank you," she said as she stepped onto the path and started walking down into the plants. Teraku smiled and closed the door gently, as not to disturb her. He turned to return to his corridors until he was needed again, to see someone in front of him.

"M-My Lord," he said shakily. He quickly regained from his shock and bowed slightly, watching as the Demon Lord waved his hand and nodded him off. "Lady Kagome likes the garden, My Lord."

"This Sesshomaru can tell," Sesshomaru said. "Teraku, did you tell her to call for you if she needed help?"

The butler gulped and then nodded. "Yes, My Lord. I told Lady Kagome if she needed any further assistance to call on me."

"Good. I am appointing you to her staff while she is here. You along with Misa and Yori will take care of Lady Kagome."

"Yes, My Lord."

"You are dismissed."

"Thank you, My Lord." Teraku bowed again and passed by Lord Sesshomaru. He made his way back to his room. A grin broke across his face as he walked. He now was getting to take care of the only woman that Lord Sesshomaru ever wanted his servants to call 'Lady'.

(~* **Dum, dum, dum!** –lol-*~)

(~*Back to the others!*~)

Inuyasha stood where he was, completely spaced out, trying to find the right direction. He decided on going farther to the west, and Kirara with her nose agreed. They went further, and further into the green trees and bushes. Even after about 5 minutes, they hadn't seen anything.

_'Kagome…please be okay…'_ the hanyou thought.

(~*^_^ Now to Sesshomaru before he showed up behind Teraku!*~)

Sesshomaru had decided to go for a walk to see if Inuyasha had come looking for Kagome. He wanted to make sure that the hanyou, that was his half-brother, was coming for Kagome. As much as he was liking how the miko took care of Rin, and how much the staff really liked her, he still knew that Inuyasha would die before letting the miko stay too long in his, Sesshomaru's, home.

He stopped at the same place where he had found Kagome and noticed that Inuyasha's scent was there, like he had been there recently. Sesshomaru settled on staying so his scent would be stronger and Inuyasha would follow it back to the castle.

_'I'll be happy when the miko is back with the hanyou,'_ he thought, and then. _'No…Kagome…'_

(~*What do you think is going on? Well, you'll just have to finish this chapter to find out!*~)

Kagome gazed around the garden. She had been outside for at least an hour to an hour and a half. Even with the heavy leaves coverage above she could still tell that the sun was almost all the way under the horizon. She didn't want to leave just yet. The garden was calming down her nerves and heart after having so many encounters with Sesshomaru lately.

And as if the Heavens were shining down on her, said demon opened the door to the garden and stepped onto the flagstone path. The miko didn't notice him at first; she was too spaced out looking at the big and gorgeous flowers next to the bench. The petals were in a spiral shape and a deep red, like a rose, but it had a center that was a deep purple color.

Kagome almost jumped out of her seat when she sensed his aura. She knew that he was staring at her, but she couldn't do anything about that. She tried to look like she wasn't bothered by this, but the demon still knew. He could sense that she was anxious and scared, but an excited scared. That part confused him.

"Miko Kagome," he stated when he got within a few feet.

"_Lord_ Sesshomaru," she said back cleverly. She turned around to look him in the eye, but she couldn't help to blush. She instantly turned back to the flowers, heart racing.

"This Sesshomaru sees you like the Flowers of Tranquility and Life," he said.

"Like the garden?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, my mother started planting and growing flowers and this one appeared. It didn't have a name and you can't find it anywhere else, so my mother named it after the garden."

"They're pretty," she whispered, still not looking at him.

_'Just like you,'_ he thought. _'Wait…did I just think that…?'_

"Yes they are," he managed to get out without his voice breaking. "The half-demon will be coming for you soon," he said, changing the subject.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"This Sesshomaru left a trail for him to follow. He should find my castle by tomorrow."

Kagome was stunned. Was she that much of a burden to him? That he just wanted to get rid of her? She was horrified.

"The garden's beautiful," she said, changing the subject.

Sesshomaru could fell the sadness coming off of her, but he didn't know why.

"What is making you so depressed, miko?" he asked. "Don't you want to half-demon to come for you?"

Kagome sat there letting a small tear run down her face.

"_I found you alone on my forest floor, why?"_

_"I had a fight with Inuyasha."_

_ "What could have made you so mad that even staying close to the half-breed wasn't an option?"_

_ "I told Inuyasha the person I love."_

_ "You do not love the half-demon?"_

_ "Not like that…"_

Sesshomaru remembered the conversation he had had with her. She didn't want to go back because he would still be mad? Or was it because she couldn't face him again?

"Yes," she said half-heartedly, quickly ridding her face of the tear. "I'll just miss being here a little. Rin and I have become closer." It wasn't a complete lie that she said. She just talked around the part of her feelings about the demon lord that stood next to her.

"Oh," Sesshomaru said. "Well, if we ever meet again, you and Rin can have some time with each other. This Sesshomaru will make sure."

Kagome gave him a feeble smile and looked back at the flowers. She was surprised to see that the petals had turned white with red streaks through them. She let out a small gasp and Sesshomaru suppressed a chuckle.

"They change with the mood of the closest person to them," he said. Kagome went wide-eyed. What did the colors of the flower mean?

"Even this Sesshomaru hasn't found out the meaning of the colors. Maybe one day, someone will."

Kagome slowly nodded her head, still transfixed on the flower. It seemed to be talking to her…telling her something…but she didn't know what.

Sesshomaru noticed how she looked at the flower; the way her mouth slightly hung open and how her eyes would just looked at the flowers with such…

Darn it, he couldn't put a word to the face. She had a look of…darn. Maybe one day he could remember that word.

(~*Later on; with Inuyasha and the gang!*~)

Inuyasha and the others made it to Sesshomaru's castle. The old building was beautiful with its architecture and size, but both of those, also, made it seem very…repulsing. It felt like the building was saying bad things about you or could possibly kill you.

Inuyasha walked up to the clearing in front of the building, getting up the courage to go and get Kagome.

(~*Meanwhile, inside of the castle…*~)

Kagome and Sesshomaru had made it back inside. He knew that his half-brother wouldn't be much longer, so he had sent Misa to fetch her things. They stood in the entranceway of the castle, Sesshomaru having already told Kagome that Inuyasha was close.

She hadn't needed his input. She could feel Inuyasha's power about 3 miles away. She kept her mouth shut though and sat in the fancy chair that had the back to the door. Sesshomaru stood to her right, leaning on a column.

The entrance room of the castle was really a grand room. The ceiling was impossible to touch, unless you could really jump or fly. It was over 100 yards high Kagome had estimated…she knew it was less than that though.

There were 12 columns on each side of the hall. They went up to the balconies above. The floor was granite or marble, Kagome couldn't tell which and she didn't think it was possible for there to be either available in Feudal Japan.

The walls down here were white stone that had been smoothed down. Directly in front of the doors to the outside, about maybe 30 yards away, was the double stairway to the balconies and to some of the upstairs rooms.

The main doors appeared as though they reach the top of the ceiling, but they were just the regular size of a door. They were gold and had precious gems spread through them.

Kagome sat there in silence, not wanting to ruin anything or say something wrong. She didn't want Sesshomaru hating her.

Sesshomaru didn't speak. After everything that had happened in the last nearly 24 hours, he didn't want to suddenly blurt out something he shouldn't. He had a good way of hiding his feelings, but he had a secret problem of not keeping his thoughts to himself sometimes.

He smelt Inuyasha close, along with the others of the gang. He closed his eyes, silently sighed and got ready to hold back other things he wanted to say.

"The hanyou is close," he said.

Kagome was slightly startled, and not listening. "Hum?" she asked.

"The half-demon is close."

"Oh," she said. She already knew that too. "Okay."

When they both felt Inuyasha and the others just a few feet from the door, they fidgeted a bit. Kagome stood and stretched. Sesshomaru looked at her body for a moment. The curves of her bodice, the movement of her arms, the look of her…

Oh, God. He was doing it again. He was thinking in a way he shouldn't be. He shook it off and regained his composure.

"He's here," he said.

"Yep," she answered.

They were quiet. Kagome picked up her bag and walked over to Sesshomaru.

"Thank you for everything Lord Sesshomaru," she said. "I'm in your debt."

Sesshomaru was lost in the girl's eyes. Once again, he had to remind himself of the situation.

"This Sesshomaru was just doing what was needed," he answered.

"Yes, but it saved my life; and for that, I am grateful." Man, she was having such a hard time not just blurting out her feelings and throwing herself onto him that very moment. She only dreamed of his lips and now she was looking at them. Oh, how she wanted them on hers.

"I better go meet them outside." She moved and picked up her bag, swinging it onto her shoulder. She didn't notice when the ribbon to her school uniform fell out of the small front pocket.

Sesshomaru watched as she walked on, not knowing the ribbon was on the floor. He moved and picked it up and called out to her.

"Miko," he said. She turned to see him standing there with her ribbon. "You dropped this."

She started her way back, but Sesshomaru was already on his way over to her. He stopped in front of her and handed it to her. Their skin brushed and Kagome let out a small gasp. She looked up at him, looking right into his golden eyes.

They stared at each other and time seemed to stop. They lost were lost in each others' eyes. Kagome tried to pull herself away to leave and Sesshomaru tried to get himself to blink or something so he could stop staring at the human girl in front of him.

(~*Outside with the crew*~)

Inuyasha walked up to the door. He reached for the knocker and banged it against the door a couple times.

(~*Uh-Oh, what will happen inside now?*~)

Kagome's mouth started to open. She was trying to stop herself from saying it; saying the wrong thing.

"Thank…you…" she said when she could get her mouth to move.

Sesshomaru almost answered her when the sound of the knocker echoed through the entranceway.

Kagome was about to move her mouth in a proper "thank you", but the words that came out were the ones she hadn't wanted to say; the ones that were really the only thing in her mind.

"I love you, Sesshomaru!"

She clasped a hand over her mouth as soon as she knew what she had said. She couldn't believe she had said that. She hadn't meant it. Kagome finally looked away from him in guilt and regret.

Sesshomaru couldn't believe his ears, but that wasn't what he needed to hear from a human girl; especially a girl like her. He tried to ignore the flesh under his clothes that had come to life at her words.

"That is a feeling that this Sesshomaru doesn't understand or comprehend of human feelings," he answered her. It was the truth. "Go Miko. The half-demon is waiting."

Kagome turned away from him and made her way to the doors. She had never felt so bad in her life.

* * *

A/N: So…..Kagome has blurted out her feelings and Sesshomaru is denying anything for her. Now, I did warn of characters not being themselves, didn't I? I'll put more emphasis on Kagome's reasons behind her feelings and Inuyasha's. C'ya next time! ^_^


	4. I Make My Own Decisions

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen the end. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Characters are a bit OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking

* * *

Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru)- I Make My Own Decisions (Warning: Lime)

Kagome opened the door to find Inuyasha on the other side. He could smell that she was embarrassed about something. Her face was bright red and she barely looked him in the eyes.

_'Oh man,'_ she thought. _'How am I going to tell Inuyasha? I know he can tell something's wrong.'_

Sesshomaru stood behind her and looked at his little half-brother.

"Half-breed," he said, regaining his normal composure.

Inuyasha growled, baring a fang. "Bastard brother."

The demon lord glared at his brother for a little bit longer and then went back inside. Before he turned around he mumbled, "We'll meet again Miko."

The door closed. Inuyasha looked at Kagome and she looked at the ground. She hugged herself and was ready to cry. She can't believe that she had done that. She couldn't believe that she would have to tell Inuyasha. Otherwise, he might think that something _else_ had happened.

"Kagome?" he asked softly. Her sobs were barely audible, but soon she put her arms out, still not looking at him. Inuyasha understood and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face into his shoulder, her arms tight around his neck. He rubbed her back and held her closer as he smelt the rest of the gang come into the front clearing.

Without disturbing her further, he gathered her into his arms and made his way to the rest of the group. She slowly stopped crying and sniffed into his shoulder, not allowing her face to be seen.

(~*She's really upset with herself. ;( *~)

(~*Now…what about Sesshomaru's _little_ problem?*~)

The demon lord walked upstairs, telling the nearest servant to tell the others to leave him undisturbed for a while. The servant nodded, and went to spread the news to the others. If Lord Sesshomaru was disturbed, it would be someone's head…or body.

He closed his door and made his way to the bath. He noticed that one of the servants had filled it. He started taking off everything he was wearing.

He couldn't get the miko out of his mind. Her face; her body; her scent. He could smell her scent on his hand from her ribbon. His erection got harder.

_'Damn,'_ he thought. _'Why does she do this to me?'_

When he was naked he stood next to the water and took his cock into his hand. He worked it a bit before it got too much to handle standing up. He sat against the wall, spreading his legs apart. He dipped one hand into the hot water and splashed it onto his hard dick as he used both hands to work it. He squeezed it at the base and hissed when he felt the beginning of his body wind up. The demon lord continued and soon released into his hands.

He panted lightly before slipping into the bath. He rinsed his hands off and cleaned off his dick. He sat there in continued to think about what the miko did to him and why. After a few minutes of that, he would have to do what he had done before, again.

(~*Haha Sesshomaru has the _hots_ for Kagome. –lol-*~)

(~*Back to the others*~)

Inuyasha didn't let Kagome down when he reached the others. He didn't put her down the whole time they were leaving Sesshomaru's forest. He didn't even put her down when Sango and Miroku started to build camp in the same spot as before.

He did go and sit out of Shippo's earshot and away from the huge hole his body had been in just a day before. He moved her for a little bit so he could place her bag on the ground. He kept Kagome pinned in his lap, not talking for a bit.

"I know you aren't asleep," he said softly. "Just talk to me when you want to."

He sat there, not moving too much. He just used one hand to rub her lower leg and the other to pet her hair. His nose was against the only seeable part of her forehead, the rest of it was against his firerat.

(~*What Kagome is thinking…*~)

Kagome still couldn't believe what was going on. She still couldn't believe what she said. She ALSO couldn't believe she was being held by Inuyasha and had been for the last two hours. She _could_ believe how she felt and how he felt.

She felt betrayed by herself, guilty, hurt, regretful, angry, upset, and heartbroken.

He felt confused, understanding, prepared, caring, loving, and slightly ticked.

She needed to talk to him. She decided to tell him.

_'Better now then later…'_

(~*Back to mostly how Inuyasha is thinking*~)

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Kagome stir in his arms. He put his head up and looked down at her as she rubbed her face into his firerat. Her face turned and looked up at him. Her red face was sad and guilty. She looked like she had just accidentally killed a pet chicken that she had raised from a chick. (~*Sorry, bad comparison. She looks REALLY sad and has puffy red, tear glistening eyes. Better?*~)

He looked down lovingly at her which made her eyes tear up more. She rubbed her face back into his firerat, starting to cry again.

"Oh Kagome," Inuyasha whispered. He patted her hair and rubbed his nose on her forehead. "It's okay. Just talk to me. What happened?"

She shook her head and he just continued with what he was doing. He wanted her to tell him, but he also didn't want to make her feel any worse by forcing her to talk. So he waited.

Kagome cried it out and Inuyasha didn't leave. They stayed there and didn't move. Sango and Miroku were worried about the two of them not eating. But they realized that in the situation at hand (~*That they know nothing about. They only think they know.*~), their stomachs didn't really want the food anyways.

The two of them just kept the fire going when they drifted off to sleep.

_'What's really wrong with Kagome?'_ Sango thought.

(~*Midnight*~)

Kagome was still awake and she decided it was time. She looked up at Inuyasha with her tear stained face. He was looking out across the water and didn't look down at her. His features were solid and set in his normal look. He spoke without looking at her.

"What's wrong? What did he do?"

She gazed down and then back up. She squeezed him with her arms before answering in a raspy, quiet voice.

"I told him."

The hanyou looked down at her. His eyes were wide.

"You did what?" he asked with a shocked tone.

"I…" she swallowed to regain some of her voice. "I told him Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked back out at the water, his features unchanging. He didn't speak for awhile. When he did, Kagome wasn't ready to respond.

"What did he do?" he asked, still looking out. When she didn't answer, he looked down at her.

Her eyes didn't meet his and didn't as she finally got her words together.

"He didn't do anything. He told me he didn't understand love and sent me out." Her voice got smaller and smaller as she told him this. She rested her head on his chest. She wanted to cry again, but her eyes were dry.

"That bastard," Inuyasha mumbled. "I'll give him a piece of my mind."

Kagome's head snapped up to face him. "Oh please Inuyasha. Don't…please don't. I don't care. It was my fault…" Her voice dropped. "Of course he doesn't comprehend love…"

"You stay away from him Kagome. You got that?" the hanyou raised her head so that their eyes were locked. "Stay away from Sesshomaru."

Kagome was mad. The rage just immediately surfaced and she shoved herself out of Inuyasha's arms and onto the cold grass next to him.

"No," she told him. "You won't tell me to do that! I'll make my own decisions Inuyasha. And if you don't like it, that's fine by me!"

She got up, taking just a few seconds to get her legs back in order before storming off to the fire. She grabbed her sleeping bag and crawled into it. She fell into a mild sleep.

Inuyasha just sat there, dumbfounded. What could he do now?

(~*Back to the Lord*~)

Sesshomaru emerged from his bath, his long locks dripping wet. He had decided to just bathe completely, and not just using the water for stimulus. He was only in his undermost garments, carrying the others. He dressed as just as he was placing the armor on his chest, his ward knocked on the door.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she called. "May I please come in My Lord?"

"Enter Rin," he answered.

The little girl gently pushed open the door to his room. It was huge, taking up 2/5 of the whole third story. There was a great large bed, bigger than a California King bed. (~*Of course, they don't know what that is! lol*~) The bed had nothing on it but a huge brown fur. The windows were huge, sitting in the indent of the wall. The floor was smoothed gray stone, along with the walls. Nothing else was in the room, except for a huge painting of great white dog.

"Rin was just wondering where Lady Kagome has gotten to," she said. "Does Lord Sesshomaru know where she is?"

Sesshomaru tried to contain himself. The posture of his face and body remained as stiff as possible. He was working very hard to keep his cool. His little friend started warming back up as he thought of the best way to tell Rin.

"Lady Kagome left," he said calmly. "She left with the hanyou a while ago. This Sesshomaru is apologetic for not telling Rin."

"Oh…" the girl said, looking down. She nodded her head and forced a smile. "Okay; right. She had to go back. Thank you My Lord." She skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Sesshomaru stood there, confused. Rin missed the girl? Well why wouldn't she? Kagome was nice, and kind and she smelt so…

His eyes grew wide. The tent in his pants had returned. He sighed.

"Why does this bitch do this to me?" he mumbled out loud. He stripped right there and went back to his bath.

(~*Hmmm. Wonder what Sesshomaru's problem is. Hehehe.*~)

(~*Back to the gang!*~)

Kagome awoke to the smell of fish, and a bright blue sky. She blinked a few times, trying to figure out where she was. The Miko sat up and yawned loudly, startling Shippo and the others.

"Kagome!" he squealed with a smile. The small fox bounced over and hoped into her lap. "Good morning!"

She gave him a smile back. "Morning Shippo," she said. She hugged him and he hugged back. He noticed how she squeezed a little harder than usual.

_'Something's still upsetting her,'_ he thought. She let go and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

_'Something is REALLY wrong,'_ the fox child thought with worry.

Sango walked over and got down next to Kagome. "How are you Kagome?"

The black haired girl looked up at her friend. "Good Sango. Good."

The demon slayer smiled. "Great."

"Come and eat Kagome!" Miroku called. The Miko climbed out of her sleeping bag and got to her feet. Sango went ahead and took a seat next to Miroku as Shippo pulled his fish from the ground. Kagome sat on the other side of Miroku, who handed her a fish. Shippo sat down next to her.

They ate in almost complete silence for a few minutes before Miroku spoke up.

"How'd you sleep Kagome?" he asked.

"Okay," she responded. She evaded everyone's eyes and continued to eat in silence.

The meal passed slowly and when it was over, she finally took a look around. She reached her aura out a bit, but she still couldn't find him.

"Where's Inuyasha?" she asked. "He was here when I fell asleep."

Sango shrugged. "I haven't seen him." She looked over at Miroku, who had been up before her.

The Monk looked at the two girls and sighed. "He left into the forest at dawn," he answered. "I guess he wanted some time to think."

Kagome sighed. This isn't how she wanted this to work. She wanted to talk to him after what had happened the night before. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry about yelling at him.

_'Why won't you understand Inuyasha?'_ she thought. _'Why can't you let me do this myself? Why can't you just be my rock?'_

(~*To the half-demon we go!*~)

The half-demon sat high up in a tree, not far from the camp; but just enough that Kagome couldn't sense him. His eyes were closed as if he were sleeping. The leaves were blocking the sun just right to keep the rays from his eyes. Yet he could still feel the warmth. He sighed and droopily opened his eyes.

Inuyasha couldn't believe what had happened. Kagome had never been so firmly mad at him before. It had always been something that just made her fume and sit him. This time, she was so mad that she didn't even say the word or threaten it. She just…left him there to think.

And think was exactly what he had been doing all morning.

Mostly about how in the world Kagome could love his brother. Well…his half-brother; and how Sesshomaru was just crude to her after her confession.

But that was his brother. Sesshomaru just doesn't know emotions. It shows with his composure; and the fact that he doesn't have any feelings toward anyone but hatred. Or pity in some cases.

And what about Rin? Sesshomaru always takes such good care of her, but how does she feel?

_'That girl would follow him anywhere,'_ Inuyasha told himself. _'Even off a cliff if need be.'_

He sighed and rubbed his temples. His head hurt now. His bastard brother always made things so difficult.

This was the last straw though. The half-demon wasn't going to let Kagome get anywhere near Sesshomaru anymore. He hurt her once. And he wasn't fucking going to do it again.

(~*Inuyasha mad! lol*~)

(~*What's the Demon Lord up to?*~)

Sesshomaru sat in his courtyard; and he thought.

This just wasn't normal. Only the heady demon bitches had ever made him "come-to-life". It just couldn't be reasonable. That girl; she just said three words and he was from zero to seventy in 5 seconds. He just didn't understand.

The Demon Lord pondered. Maybe it was because he had been around her too long. That had to be it. A human girl would _never_ make him get so hard so quickly. It had to be because he had been breathing in her scent almost every 20 minutes.

Right?

* * *

Author Note: Sooooo. I totally was going to update sooner, but being a college student, makes that really hard. XD I really enjoy your comments, it makes me feel good. Your feedback fuels the story, so keep it coming. =]

Thank you for reading! PLZ R&R!

**MrsJoey Wheeler**


	5. Nightmare

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen the end. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Characters are a bit OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking

Author Note: Soo. Since I know that you're all looking for a new chapter and since I'm having internet problems x.X, I'm going to post this now. =] Enjoy.

* * *

Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru)- Nightmare

Inuyasha returned by noon and no one said a word. The group sat in silence for quite awhile before anyone spoke. And when someone did, it was the half-demon himself.

"You won't see him again Kagome," he said.

Her heart sank. He didn't understand, and she could feel the tears behind her raw eyes.

"You can't stop me," she whispered. She spoke a little louder as she stood up from the ground. "It's my decision Inuyasha."

"You won't go near him again. You got it?"

"And why the hell not!" she screamed as she walked around to stand in front of him, tears already formed in her eyes.

He took her firmly by the shoulders and forced their eyes to lock.

"That bastard is _never_ going to hurt you again."

She felt her heart stop. The firm and angry tone stunned her and made her still. The sound of his voice made her…scared of him. She stayed there dumbfounded until it kicked in. Then she started looking around rapidly. She searched his eyes for anything to calm her nerves. Kagome was panicking. She was actually scared of Inuyasha.

He could feel how scared she was of him. It was an aura and scent he had never gotten from her before. It frightened him. He let go of her, which caused her to shake; his heart dropped into his stomach, or maybe even lower. He gently and slowly gathered her into a warm embrace and held her.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "It's okay. I'm sorry." The half-demon gently rocked her.

She stayed still, her heart still racing. She couldn't get a grip on herself.

"I-I…I didn't mean to scare you," he said gently. "I'm sorry Kagome. Please forgive me."

Kagome came back to reality, to the fact that Inuyasha was just scared of her getting hurt. He didn't want anyone, or anything to hurt her anymore. And that's all he wanted.

She allowed her arms to wrap around his neck and squeeze. She rested her head into his shoulder and held him. Her body was still a little shaky, but she knew that she was safe.

"I forgive you," she said softly. He gave her a squeeze.

"I understand how you feel, but I just don't want him hurting you Kagome," he whispered. "Please just stay away from him."

The miko was a little shocked. She didn't want to stay away from Sesshomaru.

"Just until you have your confidence back, okay?" Inuyasha said, pulling them to look at each other. "I want you to be ready to handle whatever he will do before you confront him again, alright?"

She nodded, looking straight into his eyes. "Okay," she said softly. "I understand."

He pulled her into another hug. "Thank you," he told her.

(~*Hmmm. Sesshomaru now! ^_^ *~)

The Demon Lord was sitting down in his den. He was still clueless about how a human could do such an unspeakable thing to him. Sesshomaru shook the thought from his head and gazed around the magnificent room with a blank stare.

Anyone who didn't grow up around this kind of décor would surely faint, or be astounded. The ceilings reached the lowest point of the roof, which was on top of the second story. A landing, which led to a staircase, came from only the best bedrooms of the castle, the ones for the grand inhabitants. The walls were smooth and gold and etched with designs by the artist that worked on the castle centuries ago. The floor looked just like the walls, as was the ceilings. Grand windows covered the only wall that faced outside. They reached up to the second story and were made of the most reinforced glass available. The glass was separated into square pieces that were separated with wood. Four of these windows took the wall with a gigantic fireplace right in the middle of them. Huge stones that resembled others that made up the castle were included, along with red and blue stones that complemented the décor.

The furnishings were a different story. Sesshomaru's mother had gotten all rich Japanese and European furniture for her castle. The den was so large that there were five sitting areas, all with their own flair and background. He was sitting by window closest to the landing in the German furniture. The texture of the antique furniture was anything but soft and the green of the cushions looked as though someone had poured buckets of mashed peas all over them.

He couldn't think of anything to do. The Demon Lord could go wonder around his land, but that would just cause more problems than he needed.

Sesshomaru would have to tell Jaken and Rin he was leaving. Jaken would whine and say things like "Would you like me to come with you, My Lord?" and "You should have an advisor for your rounds, sire." And then Rin would beg to let her go as well. Sesshomaru would have to tell her that it was dangerous and she would play the "I've been near Naraku and other demons and I wasn't scared" card.

_'I'll sneak out for the afternoon,'_ he thought. _'I'll act like I'm going to sit in the garden and that's when I'll take off. Maybe I'll go to the hot springs.'_

(~*Who wouldn't want to be cooped up in a magnificent room?*~)

(~*Oh! The child raised in it! lol Back to Inuyasha and the gang.*~)

The gang gathered their things and started back for Kaede's village. They kept small conversation, but mostly stayed quiet. When they arrived, it was already dark. Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala all settled in almost instantly and fell asleep. Inuyasha sat next to Kagome's sleeping figure, gently petting her hair.

"What happened Inuyasha?" Kaede asked of him. "Did ye and Kagome have a fight?"

When Inuyasha didn't answer, Miroku said, "Not exactly Lady Kaede."

"Oh; then what did happen? For I know something happened."

Inuyasha didn't say anything, but when Miroku started to explain, he jumped in to tell the whole story…

(~*Some time later…*~)

Kaede nodded. The story made sense of the young adults' actions. She looked around the room now. Miroku had dozed off during the story; Shippo and Kilala were fast asleep; Sango and Kagome were cuddled up near each other; and Inuyasha was still mindlessly petting Kagome's hair.

"You should get some sleep Inuyasha," the old priestess said. "Ye'll need your sleep in the morn'."

And with that, she fell asleep.

But how could he sleep?

_'I did all this…I'm so stupid…'_ he thought. He looked down at Kagome. He took in every bit of her face and how her body moved as she slept. The half-demon then gently said, "I'm sorry Kagome."

(~*To Sesshomaru!*~)

The Demon Lord had indeed snuck out, like a modern teenager. He now walked onto his favorite hot spring. Sesshomaru took in a deep breath of the moisture and air. He then began stripping off each piece of his outfit: his armor, any extra dressings, and his robes. The Western Lord then settled himself in the hot water with contented sigh.

_'This is just what I need…a break…'_ he thought. Lord Sesshomaru sighed again.

(~*Kagome's dreamtime!*~)

She was in the forest again, but she couldn't find her way through. Kagome looked around desperately for a sign, but none came. She frantically turned in circles to see if she could spot somebody.

Kagome opened her mouth to call out…

Nothing.

"I-_'nuyasha.'_

Kagome was really scared now. She wasn't able to call out for help. The young girl was on the brink of panicking. There was only one thing she could do now.

Run.

And run she did. She didn't know which way she was going, but she didn't care. The young miko just wanted out. She ran and ran, for what to her seemed like hours.

Suddenly, she saw a light to her right.

_'That must be a way out!'_

Kagome ran to it, not caring about what could be there waiting. She just wanted out of the forest. She winced when the light became brighter against her eyes. She squinted as she saw a figure in the light.

It was Inuyasha.

Waiting for her.

She smiled and kept going. The young girl just wanted to be where she knew she was safe.

But now to her left was another light with the same brightness. She tried hard to make out the figure that was coming towards her.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, but with a warning tone. She turned away from the other light and kept moving towards Inuyasha. She kept glancing back, her curiosity getting the better of her.

The figure was now becoming more defined. It was a large animal; and as it got closer, she could tell it was a dog.

A large _white_ dog.

_'Sesshomaru?'_

"Kagome," Inuyasha said a little louder now, still with that tone in his voice.

She stopped for just a second, but that's all that was needed.

In that second, Kagome saw Sesshomaru's red eyes and bloodthirsty fangs. In that second, she realized that he wasn't at all _normal_ at this time. And in that second…

She _froze._

All was silent for just a minute. The whole minute, all Kagome could hear was her rapid heartbeat, her jagged breathing, Sesshomaru's growling, and Inuyasha's steady breathing.

That's when it kicked in for her. Sesshomaru's eyes were red, like they were when he was about to destroy someone or something. Inuyasha was normal: amber-eyed and waiting for her outside of the forest.

She kept chanting in her head quickly, _'Move now. Move now. Move now.'_ Nothing was happening, and now Kagome was about to panic severely. She thought harder, hoping to make some progress in her escape.

That's when her brain got the message: _'I'm gonna die if I stay here.'_

Kagome turned quickly and took off running quickly. Sesshomaru gave her no head start, taking off the second she moved. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The forest didn't seem to end and Inuyasha looked very far away.

She just kept running though, not giving up her life yet. Faster and faster she tried to run. Sesshomaru was gaining fast though, not giving her much hope.

At what seemed like the last minute, she flung herself towards Inuyasha and hoped for the best.

Kagome woke up with a start and realized that she was being tightly held in a pair of strong arms.

_'Inuyasha,'_ she thought, as she snuggled into him. _'Thank you for being here for me.'_

(~*Inuyasha now*~)

Inuyasha had watched Kagome's nightmare unfold from the outside. She had mumbled, whimpered, and struggled in her sleep. He didn't know what was happening in her dream, but he knew if he was next to her that he could help her wake up. He had gently said her name, to see if she'd react. Each time he said her name, she relaxed and calmed down; but not for long.

Now he held her, after she had practically jumped into his arms at the end of her nightmare. He now comforted her by holding her close.

"It's okay Kagome," he said softly. "I'm here for you. I'm always here for you."

She nodded into his shoulder and cuddled into him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

A/N: I know it's short, but I thought it was a good place to stop. ^_^ Please review!


	6. No Matter What

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen the end. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Characters are a bit OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking

* * *

Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru)- No Matter What

The morning broke with both the half-demon and the young miko missing from the hut. Everyone wondered where the two may have gone, but they didn't make any effort to look. If something bad had happened, they would have been woken up from sleep the night before, so they knew the two were probably somewhere talking.

Sango and Kaede made a breakfast stew and served it out. As they ate, they talked about what had been going on in the village since they had been gone.

"Miroku," Kaede said.

He looked up from his bowl. "Yes, Lady Kaede?"

"Will ye come with me this morning? There is a newborn that the mother has asked for a blessing."

"Yes I will come with Lady Kaede."

After the two were done eating, they headed out to the hut. Sango looked over at Shippo.

"How about we gather some water to clean these dishes off?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me!" Shippo said.

Kilala agreed.

(~*Normal day. Now where did our main characters get off to?*~)

Inuyasha sat up in the Sacred Tree with Kagome tucked in his arms. She couldn't fall back asleep after her nightmare, so he brought her out in the fresh air, so she could clear her head. After awhile though, she fell asleep against him. Not wanting to stir her from her gentle sleep, he hadn't moved from his perch. He wanted to make sure she was well rested.

He watched the sun come up on the horizon and thought about how much life had changed in just a few days. His and Kagome's relationship had taken a 180 and she had sunk into the biggest depression of her entire life. And he couldn't figure out how to help her.

The half-demon snuggled Kagome closer. The young girl rubbed her face against his chest and sighed. He smiled and began to stroke her hair.

No matter what, he'd make sure Kagome was protected and happy.

No matter what.

(~*Awww. Good old Inu!*~)

(~*And our other main character?*~)

The Western Lord walked through his castle. He wanted to make sure everything was taken care of. He watched as his human servants cleaned the floors and furniture; while his demon servants, most of them able to fly, cleaned the high ceilings and the upper walls and windows.

He noticed the young daughter of Yori, Kimiko, ran around bringing a wash bucket to all of the demon cleaners. She giggled when they would sprinkle some of the water on her head as they flew up to continue working. The Lord didn't mind having children in his home, as long as they knew that they were there to help out the workers. Even his ward Rin would help, but that would be from the fact she was bored.

Yori came up behind him in the large ballroom that everyone was cleaning. She was carrying two new buckets of water that she placed in two spots in the room for the cleaners to use. She pulled out a rag from her apron pocket and took her place next to Lord Sesshomaru.

"They are doing a good job, My Lord," she said as she wiped off her hands. She sighed and placed the rag back into her pocket.

"Yes and this Sesshomaru believe this is going to take less time than the last time," he stated.

"Yes My Lord, I believe so," she said back.

Yori was one of Lord Sesshomaru's most trusted servants. Her family had served his mother from the moment she lived in this castle with his father. Yori was the oldest member of her family left, her daughter the only other member. Her mother had died from a fever two years before and her husband died from a snake bite only a few months ago. She still stayed faithful to Lord Sesshomaru, and was at the top of the staff to care for little Rin.

"I do believe it's time to feed the young ones before everyone rushes the kitchen," she said. She watched Kimiko giggle, running around with a bucket, without spilling any water.

"Kimiko!" Yori called.

"Yes Mother?" the 8-year-old called back.

"Come Sweetheart," her mother said. The little girl placed her bucket on the floor and jogged over.

Kimiko, like her mother, had no blemishes on her face. She also had the same blue eyes. Her long black hair was tied up into a bun like her mother's. She was a little small for her age, but that would be due to her small birth weight. When she arrived in front of Lord Sesshomaru, she bowed before she stood next to her mother.

"We will take our leave My Lord," Yori said, taking a small bow and ushering her daughter from the room.

Lord Sesshomaru nodded slightly as they left. He gazed around the ballroom. The gold detailed walls and floor shone in the bright light. The demon lord liked it when his castle was clean. He may not seem to care, but he hated it when things weren't taken care of at his home. Since his mother became bedridden, he didn't want the rest of the castle to fall apart.

_'I wonder how Mother is?'_ he thought. He waited; and when he was sure that the cleaning would get finished, he left for the staircase. As he went up the right flight, Rin and Kimiko came running down the right staircase that lead from the second floor. They both were giggling and jabbering. When they noticed Sesshomaru, both of them stopped, bowed slightly, and said, "Hello Lord Sesshomaru" before they continued down to the kitchen.

He smirked. Those girls got along so well. He didn't know how Rin would have turned out if Kimiko hadn't been born into the castle.

(~*Kaede's village!*~)

Sango and Miroku sat outside of Kaede's hut, Kilala lying between them. They had been there for quite awhile, waiting for Inuyasha and Kagome to come back. Kaede had taken Shippo with her to gather herbs.

"I wonder what they're doing," Sango said.

Miroku sighed. "Probably talking," he said. "Knowing them right now, Inuyasha's probably trying to show Kagome how much he cares; and how much he doesn't want her going through this emotional pain."

Sango looked at him, wondering where his sudden wisdom was coming from. She sighed. "You have a point there Miroku."

Kilala stretched out and crawled onto Sango's lap. Sango stroked the firecat's back as she curled up into a little ball. The demon slayer's other hand went down to the spot where Kilala had been lying. Miroku reached down and placed his hand over hers.

She looked up at him and they reassured each other with their eyes. Sango scooted a little closer and leaned her head on his shoulder, not caring who could be watching.

"I hope everything turns out okay," she whispered.

The monk laid his head on hers. "I hope so too Sango."

(~*Cuteness ^_^*~)

(~*Back to Inuyasha and Kagome!*~)

Kagome stirred in Inuyasha's arms. He moved enough so she could sit up, but not fall. She sat up and stretched her arms straight up, her eyes still closed. The young miko stretched up enough to pop her back. She sighed and draped her arms around Inuyasha's neck.

"Kagome?" he asked worriedly. She groaned as she allowed her eyes to meet some of the sunlight.

"I'm okay," she answered in a husky voice. "I'm just trying to wake up."

Inuyasha gathered her into his arms comfortably and jumped down from the tree, taking a seat at the base. In the shade, Kagome was able to sit up and rub her eyes so she could see better.

"Thank you Inuyasha," she said. She got up from his lap and stood up. The young girl stretched again, trying to wake up her muscles. When she was done, she sat cross-legged in front of Inuyasha, who was also cross-legged.

"You're welcome," he said softly. She giggled at the fact he waited to answer her. He smiled a little from the fact that he finally got her to sound happy for the first time in days.

Kagome calmed herself. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "You know what?" she asked him. "I can't believe how much things have changed, but I can't believe more how much we have stayed the same. It's like nothing weird ever happened. All that's different is that you have become a little more protective. I'm so happy that we worked out our relationship Inuyasha. And I'm so glad that we have the same feelings about everything."

He smiled again. "I agree Kagome. Things have changed for the better. We can live on the way we want to, and nothing can stop that." He held out his arms and she tucked herself into his lap. "And I'll always be here for you," he said. "No matter what."

"No matter what," Kagome repeated.

_'Thank you Inuyasha. I'm so happy that you're here for me.'_

(~*Glad that she's happy again!*~)

(~*Hmm. And what's going on here?*~)

Sesshomaru stood down the hallway from his mother's room. Her room was on the specially hidden fourth floor. Most of the floor was taken up by a tower that could be seen from the outside. Sesshomaru made his way towards the big, mahogany doors; but had to stop when one of his mother's attendants walked out.

The young dog demon was taken aback at the site of Sesshomaru. She instantly bowed from across the hall. Her small brown ears were floppy, and hung out of her short brown hair. Her skin was pale from always being in the dark chambers of the Mistress of InuTaisho.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru-ru," the young girl stuttered. She bowed very low and stood back up to face him. "Your mother asks for you, M-my Lord."

Sesshomaru nodded and walked up to the door that she held open for him. He took the step over the threshold and another step. She closed the door behind them and quickly scurried off. The Demon Lord could hear her talking.

"Mistress, he is here," she said to a figure in a closed area.

"He is?" the figure asked. "Alright, then I shall move to speak with him. I will not talk from my bed!"

A few more of the lady dog attendants helped the Mistress from her bed and into the main dark room. They helped her sit in her large throne-like chair. Afterwards, they bowed to both her and Sesshomaru before leaving. The one young demon stayed a few feet from the chair.

"Chizue," the Mistress said.

"Yes M'am," the young girl answered.

"I know you are doing your duty, but please leave now. I wish to speak to my son alone."

"Yes M'am," said Chizue. She took her leave to the same room the other attendants had left to.

When all the others were finally gone, Sesshomaru's mother gazed upon him. "My son, why have you graced me with your presence?"

"This Sesshomaru was coming to see how his mother was fairing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't think you cared," she retorted sarcastically.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "And why, dear Mother, were you calling upon Sesshomaru?"

"Oh quit that third person crap child," she remarked, spitting air as she moved in her seat. "I called on you to discuss the one thing you never wish to discuss, my Son." She paused to weigh his reaction. "The heir to the lands."

Sesshomaru's glare deepened. His mother laughed.

"I know you hate the subject child, but I can only worry. I'm up in age and you have yet to mate and produce an heir to your father's land! I have the right to be worried!" She snapped this at him, giving him a dose of her own glare.

"This Sesshomaru has-"

"AAAH!" she yelled. "I told you; no more of that bull!"

"_I_," he said angrily. "I have told you before Mother, I do not wish to take a mate at this time."

"But you must, my boy. Without one and without an _heir_, these lands will slip from our family's control! You must not destroy that!"

The Mistress was set on this. She had told her son on many different occasions that he needed to mate soon. She knew that if she didn't push him to, that he never would; and there would go all of his father's legacy.

"That decision _Mother_, I will make on my own time," Sesshomaru told her. "When I wish to take a mate, I will let you know."

He turned on his heals to leave, but his mother still had more to say.

"Don't forget Son," she said icily. "You must mate a dog demon to properly continue this family's line. Do _not_ stray like your father and mate a human. I will _never_ forgive you if you do child."

"I didn't plan on it Mother," he gritted through his teeth. The Demon Lord then made his exit.

(~*Sesshomaru's mom is NOT happy with him! Wouldn't want to be in her way! O.o *~)

(~*Back to the village!*~)

Inuyasha and Kagome arrived back at the village before the midday meal. They joked with everyone about what they had been doing, just poking fun. The two close friends noticed how Sango and Miroku sat just a little closer to each other when they ate. Both of them knew it was just a matter of time before Naraku was defeated and the young couple would finally get married.

After eating, Sango, Kagome, Shippo, and Kilala all headed to the closest hot spring to bathe, making the boys clean dishes.

"Why did they have to pin the chore on us?" Inuyasha asked angrily as he tried to clean off a plate.

"Calm down Inuyasha," Miroku said. "They just want some time to themselves. If you had been here this morning, you would know that it was our turn to clean dishes."

"Well excuse me," the half-demon mumbled matter-of-factly. He had a bandana holding his hair back as he washed.

Miroku paused to look at him. He tilted his head one way, and then the other; the whole time squinting, trying to make sense of what he was looking at.

Then he randomly stated, "Has anyone told you that you look an awfully like a woman like that Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha became annoyed, the anime bump vivid on the back of his head.

"Not like it matters," Miroku waved off. "I was just wondering." He went back to washing the plate he had.

After a small bit of time, he mumbled, "Because you do."

"DO YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME MONK!" Inuyasha roared, rising to his feet. (~*Oh here we GO! Lol*~)

"No no no, Inuyasha," the monk pleaded, protecting himself with a plate. "I was just stating a fact."

Inuyasha crack a few knuckles; and with his darkest voice said, "Do you wanna die, Miroku?"

Miroku freaked, and took off running. The plate he was holding flew into the air and the half-demon caught it gently. Lady Kaede came out from her hut and looked up at him.

"Whatever is going on, Inuyasha?" she asked.

He carefully handed her the plate.

"Divine punishment," was his only answer before trudging after the monk.

(~*Hot springs!*~)

"Wonder what the guys are up to?" Kagome asked.

A wail known to come from their comrade answered her question.

"It sounds like he was testing the length of Inuyasha's chain again," Sango stated dryly.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the late update. I forgot that I still had chapters to post on this one. =[ Forgive me…..

Please R & R!


	7. A Lost Heart

Small Needed Warnings (SNW): This takes place a few days after the final episode of the series, so it's gonna be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen the end. There are also Limes, Lemons, and a Lemonade or two through-out the story. Characters are a bit OOC.

PS- If you see (~*Then something inside.*~), it's me talking

Breathe (With Me Sesshomaru)- A Lost Heart

The day came early for Inuyasha's group. Everyone was up at dawn, and ready to head out to look for more jewel shards. After packing everything up, and saying good-bye to Lady Kaede, the group headed out to the east.

The decision to go this way came from two known facts: 1.) They hadn't searched in this direction in a long time; and 2.) East is opposite of west and that means getting farther away from Sesshomaru, Kagome's main source of pain.

So they continued their journey east, hoping to also hatch a plan to finally defeat Naraku.

(~*Yay! Off on journey…again!*~)

(~*Sesshomaru-sama?*~)

The Western Lord also knew something for sure: he was NOT under **ANY** circumstances going home anytime soon. After the little run in with his mother, her attendants would come downstairs asking for him multiple times a day. He'd go up there, and just get the same lecture over, and over again.

This is when he decided to leave and go searching for Naraku again. He brought along Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un, as usual; mostly to keep Rin and Jaken out of his mother's displeasure.

And most of that was for Rin's safety.

The three continued on, heading in the polar opposite direction of where they started.

_'The farther _I_ get from my mother,'_ Sesshomaru thought. _'The more of my sanity I'll retain.'_

(~*Do we BLAME him? =P*)

(~*Switch back!*~)

Three days had passed, and still no sign of the sacred jewel, or the half-demon Naraku. The four young travelers, along with their demon companions, were wondering if they were going to get any leads on this trip out.

Kagome had not sensed any sacred jewel shards, but they had exorcised a demon from a wealthy family's home. This had allowed them to sleep under a roof and receive two meals as payment. They were also given the opportunity to bathe.

After thanking the family for taking care of them for the night, the group set off again, continuing east on their search for Naraku.

"Anything yet Kagome?" Inuyasha asked the spacey miko.

She jumped and shook her head. "No, nothing at all," she answered him in a low voice. "I haven't felt any shards except for the one around my neck." The miko then proceeded to twiddle the little jar between her fingers. The shard hit the glass and made different little sounds that distracted her.

Inuyasha noticed that she had become distant over the last two days. She didn't talk much, raise her head for too long, or make any suggestions. Kagome still walked at her normal pace, but stayed back from Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. But the weird thing was, if Inuyasha pulled her into an embrace, she'd just stand there. Sometimes she would say "Shouldn't we be going?" or "What are you doing?", but that was even rare to hear. The half-demon was worried. She was so spacey and distant, that he was worrying that she was being eaten up from the inside out. And that she would become an easy target in an attack from Naraku.

Inuyasha reached over and took her hand away from the vile. He held onto her hand tightly, squeezing hard enough to get her attention.

Kagome looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. She came towards him and wrapped her arm behind his. He smiled back and they continued to follow their friends.

(~*Lalaalalaaa. =] Cutsie*~)

Little Rin skipped ahead of Sesshomaru as their small group walked on towards the east. She hummed little songs and picked up flowers as she went. Soon, the girl had a small bouquet of flowers from everywhere they had passed. She ran up to Jaken and pushed them in his face.

"Look Master Jaken!" she said happily. "Aren't they beautiful!"

Jaken sneezed. He looked up at the human girl with an annoyed expression. "How dare you do that, girl! I can't believe that you would think shoving flowers in my face was a good idea!"

She jumped back, holding the flowers to her chest. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it girl," the imp snapped. "I don't appreciate you not thinking before you act." He walked up to her as he spoke and smacked the flowers from her hands.

Rin was startled. Jaken normally wouldn't get so upset with her. She was scared, which was unusual, because she was usually quick to snap back at Jaken and then skip to take a spot next to Sesshomaru. Today though, she was quiet and really sad. She just stood there as Jaken turned to leave with Sesshomaru.

When the little girl didn't move, Ah-Un went back to check on her. It tapped her with one of its heads, trying to get her to move, but she wouldn't budge. Sesshomaru was quite a deal in front of her when he smelt the salt of her tears.

He immediately turned around to see her so far behind him and hunched into a little ball. The Western Lord started his way back to her, as Jaken (not knowing Sesshomaru had turned around) continued walking.

The Demon Lord stopped in front of Rin and looked around for the source of this sudden wash of tears. He saw the flowers that she had collected, scattered over the ground; some with petals torn, other squished from when Jaken had stepped on them as he left.

Sesshomaru was a little clueless of what to do. He didn't want her to cry, but he didn't know how to calm her. He didn't want to ruin his reputation as the Demon Lord of the Western Lands by holding her, but he didn't want her to think that he didn't care.

He did care; and a great deal at that. He didn't want anyone to know that he saw Rin as one of his own; like an abandoned pup taken in by an adult dog. She was his responsibility, no matter what anyone said. He swore to protect her, and had even admitted his feelings of fatherly love towards her indirectly. Sesshomaru wanted to make sure that she felt safe; a feeling he knew his father had once had toward Inuyasha's human mother.

Not knowing what else to do for Rin, he swallowed his pride. He leaned down and scooped the young girl into his arms. When he had finished standing up, she wiggled. Rin moved to wrap her arms around Sesshomaru's neck, burying her little nose into his shoulder. He moved to hold her in a more comfortable position and then started back off in the direction he had before.

Rin continued to cry, but only she knew why. She knew who had come back for her and who was holding her. She was so happy that her Lord had come back for her, to make sure she was okay. Nothing could make her feel better that knowing her Lord Sesshomaru cared about her that much as to not leave her behind.

When Sesshomaru had caught up to a distraught Jaken, he opened his mouth for the first time that day.

"Do not ever leave Rin behind again," the Demon Lord said. "This Sesshomaru never wants to see tears in her eyes again for your stupid acts of anger."

Jaken was frozen. He had never heard his Lord speak so much anger towards him before. "Yes My Lord," he whispered as he followed Sesshomaru and Ah-Un.

Sesshomaru unconsciously leaned his head on Rin's. His timing was impeccable, because she just then whispered,

"Thank you Lord Sesshomaru."

The Western Lord suppressed a smile.

(~*Awwwwww. Right? Heehee *~)

(~*Back we go!*~)

The group had stopped for the night in a clearing just out of a forest. Miroku and Sango built the fire as Shippo dug the cooking utensils from Kagome's bag. Kilala stood guard for them by patrolling in a circle around where they were set-up.

Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, who was motionless and blank. She didn't speak, even when spoken to. If she did happen to speak, it was robotic and emotionless. It was like her soul was gone and nothing controlled her expressions.

The two were sitting side-by-side cross legged. Inuyasha reached over and placed his right hand on her knee. She didn't look at him; she just leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. He positioned his head on hers and snuggled. He could feel her smile, something he hadn't seen her do in a while now.

She moved a little under the pressure of his head. "Inuyasha," she whispered kind of sadly. He jumped a bit. He hadn't heard her talk with that kind of emotion in a while.

"What is it?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice from shaking with happiness that she was returning to normal.

"You're so sweet," she said happily, but she sounded like she was going to cry.

His heart jumped in his chest; and he snuggled her head again. "What's wrong Kagome?" he asked worriedly.

"I…I feel so lost…" she said, fighting back the tears. "I-I don't know what to do…"

Sango and Miroku heard her whimper, and were instantly concerned. Shippo smelt the forming tears and was getting ready to ask her what was wrong, but Sango beat him to it.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" the demon slayer asked kindly. She walked over and crouched down in front of her, reaching her hand out for the miko's cheek.

As Sango's skin met hers, Kagome began to cry. "I'm so l-lost Sango-o," she cried. The demon slayer rubbed the tears between her fingers. She reached her other arm out. Kagome lifted herself away from Inuyasha and collapsed into her best friend's arms. Sango held her tight, the miko's face buried in her chest, her hands gripping the sides of the yukata. Sango rested her head on top of hers. She gently shushed her and rocked her back and forth.

Inuyasha was now clueless of what to do. He couldn't hold her to comfort her and now he sat there with nothing to do, but to hear her cry. He hung his head, defeated of what he could do.

Not knowing anything else he could do, he reached out and rubbed her back with his hand. Sango gave him a small smile, one that told him that he was still important in this situation. She snuggled Kagome closer to her and the miko's arms wrapped around her waist.

Miroku and Shippo began working on dinner. It was their way of staying out of the way and doing something productive. Soon the smell of grilled fish filled the campsite, and the sound of Kagome's sobs died down.

When the food was ready, Sango rubbed a finger across Kagome's cheek. "Kagome sweetheart," she said sweetly. "Are you hungry?" The young miko shook her head no, and whimpered. Sango looked up at Inuyasha, her eyes sunken. The bags under the demon slayer's eyes were very dark.

The half demon withdrew his hand and moved to sit next to Kagome and Sango. He reached to rub the back of Kagome's head.

"Kagome," he whispered. "Come here." When she shook her head again, he leaned down to her ear. "Please come with me Kagome," he mumbled, trying to keep his voice even.

As he moved away from her face, she began to sit up. She sat back on her heals and stretched. Her hands came to rub her face and she looked over at her best friend.

"Thank you Sango," she gasped out of her dry mouth.

Sango leaned over and kissed Kagome's forehead. "Of course honey. Anything for you." She gave Kagome a little squeeze, got up, and joined Miroku and Shippo for dinner.

Inuyasha sat cross legged and reached out his arms for her. She crawled over and tucked herself into his lap. He cradled her gently, but held her tightly in his arms. Seeing her in such a distressed state upseted him greatly. The half demon pulled his face down in towards hers and cuddled her.

"Inu…yasha," Kagome whispered. He jumped a little bit, but opened his ears to what she was going to say.

"Thank you…" she said, just like she had so many times before.

Inuyasha was glad to hear those words from her mouth. It meant that she was feeling better. It meant that she would start to return to normal.

"You're welcome," he told her back. Kagome's arms pushed by his shoulders. He sat up and they wrapped around his neck, her face resting in his shoulder. The half demon smiled and looped his own arms around her waist.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so I feel terrible. I forgot to post this chapter…..=[ I'm sorry that I can't remember to do one little thing…lol. *sigh* Oh well. I hope you liked it.

Please R & R!


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